QUICK THOUGHT: The Idol of Greed

This is an experiment. I wanted to try a short devotion and see if I could do it, and if it was any good. For this week, I want to talk about idols. The first is, in my opinion, the most obvious...greed.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to Balancing the Christian Life.
Quick Thoughts.
I'm Dr Kenny Embry.
Join me as we figure out whatit means to live as a Christian.
Idolatry is one of the sins ofthe Old Testament I can't relate
to very well.
I don't understand how or whythe Israelites were ever tempted
by statues of wood or metals.
It seems silly to invest anykind of trust into the very

(00:29):
materials we surround ourselveswith, and from an outsider's
point of view it is silly.
Isaiah even made the point thatthe people would take a log,
make a statue out of one half ofit, then burn the other half.
Look, it's all the same thing.
The very thing they burned wasthe same thing they worshipped.
Yeah, that's stupid, but ouridols end up looking pretty

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similar.
We use our time and resourcesin the pursuit of stupid stuff,
and we know it's stupid as we'redoing it.
And if you don't, then let meadmit that I do it as we're
doing it.
And if you don't, then let meadmit that I do.
Do any of us for a momentbelieve money or greed are
virtues?
We can quote 1 Timothy 6, wherewe're told the love of money is

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the root of all evil, and mostof us are quick to point out
that it's the love of money andnot money itself.
Yet how much of our lives isspent pursuing money?
How many times are we temptedto work for more to make more?
Or, on the opposite end, howmany of us are willing to clip
coupons to save a buck?
If we're honest with ourselves,we know money is one of our

(01:38):
motivations and it's an easything that has become an idol to
us and those around us.
Let's face it we're often moreinterested in lifestyles of the
rich and famous and not wastingtime with the poor and obscure.
God has told us outright wecannot serve him and greed.

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So how do we avoid making moneyour master?
Let me suggest three quickrecommendations from someone who
has failed at this far moretimes than I can imagine.
First, pray about your problem.
The reason we pray isn't toinform God.

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God already knows what problemyou have.
He knows how much money affectsyou.
He knows it better than you do.
But money is one of thosethings we love to fool ourselves
about.
We think we can handle it, butif you admit to God this is a
problem, you're really admittingto yourself.
Second, be more generous.

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You might not have a lot ofmoney, but I promise you have
something that could helpsomeone else.
It could be a few bucks, a fewminutes or letting somebody have
your expertise for a littlewhile.
If you want to lose greed, gaingenerosity, give freely what
others cannot afford.

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Finally, try spending fast.
This looks identical to savingmoney, but it has a different
goal.
When we pursue money by eitherworking for more or saving,
we're keeping money and greed inthe driver's seat.
But if we devalue what moneycan do at all, it has less power

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overs.
For many years, at my family'sThanksgiving, we would play a
competitive basketball game withthe family.
I wasn't a good player and itwas easy to get mad, frustrated
or both, because I could notseem to get the ball where I
wanted it.
But one year something magicalhappened.

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I stopped caring whether myteam won or lost.
The taunting didn't meananything because the game didn't
mean anything.
Frankly, I don't remember whatyears my team won or lost
because I stopped caring.

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Now do the same thing forspending.
Try spending fast because youdon't care about what money can
buy.
I know that's really difficultbecause I'm asking you to take
the emotions out of money andfrankly, it's the emotions that
are the problem, butintentionally take a break from

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spending for a day, two days ora week and see what, if anything
, changes.
See if you think about Goddifferently.
See if you see yourrelationships differently.
See who you are, apart from thelittle green pieces of paper
that seem to change everything.

(04:48):
Okay, let's take this to God.
Dear Lord, we have a difficultrelationship with money.
You know that better than we do.
Help us to make money, ourservant and not our master.
We know money is necessary forus, but loving it isn't.
So, lord, help us to keep youwhere you belong and money where

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it belongs.
Help us to be more generous andgive what we can while we can.
You are our Father.
Help us to be good children Inthe name of our King, amen.
Now let's be good and do good.